A predominantly black, heavily Hispanic, relatively prosperous unincorporated community in the South
Los Angeles region of Los Angeles County, California. Athens is south of unincorporated Westmont, east of Hawthorne, north of Gardena, and west of the Broadway-Manchester neighborhood of the city of
Los Angeles. It is bounded on the north by Imperial Highway, on the east by Vermont Avenue, on the south by El Segundo Boulevard and the Gardena city line and on the west by South Van Ness Avenue, South Wilton Place and the Hawthorne city boundary. It is bisected by the Interstate 105 Century Freeway. Notable for Athens Park Bloods a predominately African-American street gang in an unincorporated area of South East Los Angeles County. The group started during circa 1970 as the Athens Park
Boys (APB) before the
Crip &
Blood identities took form in the early 1970s. Some suggest that the APB were formed in 1969 prior to Raymond Washington forming the first Crip gang on the eastside of Los Angeles.
During the late 1960s, prior to the Athens Park
Boys, the Black Cobras were the dominant group in the neighborhood which included guys like Tabu, Cowboy, Tony White and
Michael Bell.
The Athen are one of the few gangs that have a westside and eastside within their singular turf West of Main Street to Figueroa represents the westside of Athens Park and east of Main Street to Avalon is the eastside.
